Dutch carrier KLM will cut 250 ‘non-operational’ jobs as part of widespread cost-cutting measures.
The airline first announced its “painful” restructuring process in October, which it hopes will improve its operational and financial performance by €450 million.
In a statement on Wednesday the carrier said trade unions representing its staff were “informed in advance” of its decision to lay off 250 office staff.
“It is crucial for our future to structurally lower costs, which involves making painful choices,” said KLM president and CEO Marjan Rintel. “One of these measures is reducing the number of non-operational jobs, where we will try to avoid forced layoffs, although we cannot rule this out in advance. We will approach this process with the utmost care, in close consultation with the Works Council.”
The carrier, part of the wider Air France-KLM Group, has struggled with “persistent cost challenges” since the pandemic and reported mixed results in 2024. Its third-quarter 2024 financial statement saw a 3.6 per cent increase in revenue to more than €3.5 billion, while operating income was €396 million, which was a drop of €127 million on the same quarter in 2023.
As part of the restructure, KLM has also postponed the construction of a new headquarters and said it is taking measures to increase productivity “by at least 5 per cent” and divest or discontinue activities “that do not directly contribute to its operations”.